Ecocritical readings of medieval German and Latin heroic poetry

Abstract

While the living conditions of the Anthropocene pose dangerous consequences for humanity, they have also heightened our attention and sensitivity to nature, that is, our natural environment, even when looking back into the past. Scientists and literary scholars have discovered that ecocriticism strongly contributes to a deeper, refined insight into the interaction between human actors and natural agents. Many medievalists have thus begun to focus on how pre-modern poets reflected on water, the forest, mountains, animals, and plants as they impacted human life. This paper reviews a range of medieval heroic epics where specific aspects of nature matter extensively in shaping the protagonists’ characters, experiences, and struggles. Activities, such as crossing a body of water, traveling through forests, climbing mountains, staying in caves, landing and fighting on islands, or living in wilderness areas assume critical functions in narrative development. Although the ecological concerns in these medieval texts may differ from those found in post-modern literature, close readings of major representatives of this genre indicate that medieval poets already demonstrated significant awareness of the close connections between humans and their natural environment.

Keywords

Ecocriticism / Medieval heroic epics / Nature in the Middle Ages / Beowulf / Waltharius / Nibelungenlied / Kudrun / Das Lied vom Hürnen Seyfrid

References

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